Netizen Voices: “Stop Complaining, Hu Xijin. You Played a Part in This.”

“Little Pink” and pro-establishment comments: 欧洲小吏: Gone are the days when you obsolete colonial bootlickers, wannabe intellectuals, and public figures could stir up people’s emotions online without being called to account. DBL-miemie: So now that public opinion has shifted and people aren’t so easily duped, he feels like there isn’t enough “freedom.” 甄孜言: Why not just admit you’re nostalgic for the past, when wannabe intellectuals were allowed to run amok online, polluting the internet? 文明交流-要不哥哥怼你到破防: Aren’t we tolerant enough as it is? Practically every day, there are a bunch of online losers trampling on our nation’s flag, and they always get away with it. 领事闲谈: Haha, that old cliché. I’m a civil servant and I manage to post things every day just fine. The only people who worry are those with something to hide, especially certain “proxies,” talking about topics that can’t stand up to scrutiny. 景明同学111: So you’re only capable of speaking if you’re allowed to trash-talk China, the Party, and Socialism, is that it? Supportive comments: ming-ustc: I agree with Old Hu on this point: more tolerance, less antagonism. L秋水孤鹜: Be open-minded, foster a relaxed and inclusive public-opinion climate, and let people exercise their due right to freedom of speech! Don’t do things that create a "chilling" effect. 航行-RXG: Most of the people I follow haven’t posted on Weibo in a few years. 看看就好有啥好看的: Without tolerance, how can we ever have consensus, or social progress? 十里坡剑神啊: The Chinese internet is dead. There’s nothing worthwhile left. 崔曦文18: There are more crazies than ever, but now they’re considered mainstream. 叶辉姓贾: It took me a while to even work up the nerve to “like” your post. -中医上工-: Only Old Hu would be bold enough to broach such a sensitive topic. 椰子树上叶子01: My boss said we can’t post stuff about our personal lives, only content from public WeChat accounts, so now everyone at work is setting up burner accounts. 一蹴而就啊: This is the one time I’m not going to argue with Ol’ Hu, because I totally agree with him! 许了个仙2109: If you really want everyone to be able to speak freely, first get all the major platforms to stop filtering sensitive words. Critical and sardonic comments: 股海东方不败: But why is everyone is too scared to speak out? I can’t believe Old Hu doesn’t understand the underlying reason. 一切为了大局: Ol’ Hu, this is a good thing. It means there’s less “negative sentiment.” 消化科倔老头: On the one hand, you’ve got people staying silent out of fear; on the other, people spouting endless bullshit … Ol’ Hu definitely understands the reason why. 重在参与的过程: Old Hu is actually a beneficiary of the current situation. ChrisMu35642495: “Frisbee-catcher” lapdog, stop complaining. You played a part in this. 瀚瀚de幸运花骑士: Old Hu, you’re just trolling, aren’t you? You’re rotten to the core. 勤奋的男人使命: Old Hu went from the rearguard to the vanguard [of free speech]. Back when the winds were blowing his way, he could piss for yards. Now that the winds have shifted direction, he’s always getting his shoes wet. jiamama0101: Old Hu deserves a lot of “credit” for the state of the internet today! SupremeLeaderXi: This is China